Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1239

Swoosh!

Under Jongli Baek’s merciless swordsmanship, thirty or so demonic beings lost their lives.

‘Incredible.’

Each move, each stance, contained the essence of martial arts. The supreme swordsmanship, which achieved maximum effect with minimal power, was providing great enlightenment to the warriors even amidst the chaotic battle.

‘This isn’t a fight. It’s just a one-sided massacre.’

The bisected corpses were writhing.

Even with their upper and lower bodies separated, they seemed to be trying to move forward somehow. It was like watching a snake or insect with its body cut in half.

Even Jongli Baek, who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, bloomed his upper dantian [energy center in the head], and achieved a state close to unwavering focus with his solid middle dantian [energy center in the chest], felt a chill run down his spine at the sight.

‘This meaningless slaughter can’t be for nothing. Prevent them from reaching Mount Wudang… That’s all we need to do.’

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The shockwaves of the consecutive fist techniques were truly immense.

Jongli Baek glanced to the side.

In the distance, sixteen Arhats [Buddhist disciples who have attained enlightenment] were forming a formation, cornering one person. And the one hundred and eight Arhats were widely deployed, blocking the indiscriminate charge of the demonic beings.

‘Was that the Beomoh of Shaolin?’

At their center was an elderly monk, wielding a powerful staff with a divine-like force.

He was the one called the greatest genius of Shaolin, currently serving as the head of the Arhat Hall. As expected, he was practicing martial arts that were particularly antagonistic to the demonic arts of the heretical sects. Even while injured, he was displaying even more vigorous Shaolin secret techniques.

Although he had not fought him, he felt that even the Great Master Gong Gong would not be able to wield such a Buddhist-filled martial art.

‘That lion’s roar from earlier was incredible. He is a talent worthy of inheriting the martial arts of the next generation of Shaolin…’

Swoosh! Crash!

He plunged into the midst of the demonic beings and swung the Tyrant Blade dozens of times.

A path was carved diagonally under his swordsmanship. The number of demonic beings killed by his brief swordsmanship was beyond calculation.

Thud!

In front of Beomoh, who was retreating while spewing blood, was Geonhyoong, emitting a dangerous demonic aura from his entire body.

He was now completely out of his mind. His whole body was covered in blood, and a crude demonic energy was burning from his greatsword.

His eyes were burning red, and saliva mixed with blood was dripping from his mouth. He had sold his enlightenment somewhere, and with a tyrannical force that even his natural enemies could not withstand, he was pushing back the Shaolin monks.

The Tyrant Blade tore through the air.

Clang!

He blocked it with his beast-like instincts, but Geonhyoong was no match for Jongli Baek’s power in his current state.

“Kuaaaak!”

Geonhyoong, who had been pushed back madly and knocked down twenty demonic beings, charged at Jongli Baek with a snarl.

‘This war, which can no longer be called a battle, must be ended as soon as possible.’

Whoosh!

The Tyrant Blade began to move with a solemn motion.

The massive sword split into two, then four, and finally ten, filling the air.

Swoosh!

The Thunder Fall technique, linked with the Ten Swords of the Soul-Reaping Cult.

Geonhyoong’s eyes widened.

Crash! Thud!

The Thunder Fall Blade, which had crushed all the sword techniques of the Dragon Demon Ten Swords, which could hardly be called techniques, was wildly slashing Geonhyoong’s body.

Sizzle.

A vile demonic energy flowed from Geonhyoong’s body as he collapsed, spewing blood. At the moment his life was cut short, all the demonic energy he possessed was being released.

The Tyrant Blade made a smooth movement in an instant.

Whoooooosh!

As if it were the Tai Chi Sword of Wudang, the Tyrant Blade moved, and all the surging demonic energy was sucked into it.

“Hap!”

Bang!

With a stomp, he raised the Tyrant Blade as if stabbing, and the cloud of powerful demonic energy flew into the sky.

At that moment, Beomoh unleashed the Great Subduing Buddha Palm.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The demonic energy released outside the body quickly lost its density, but it was impossible to know what variables might arise if that demonic energy were to fall on the demonic beings.

Beomoh’s Great Subduing Buddha Palm exploded Geonhyoong’s demonic energy and purified it at the same time.

“Good.”

With just his swordsmanship, he absorbed the intangible energy and wielded it as he pleased.

It was a technique of transferring energy using internal energy. It was an incredibly amazing skill, but Jongli Baek had no time to rest.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

He unleashed countless single sword techniques of the Soul-Reaping Cult, pushing back the demonic beings.

Before long, the corpses of the demonic beings piled up like mountains. It was the result of the Arhats and the forces of the Henan martial world pushing forward with their lives on the line. In the midst of this, the combined might of the ten thousand-strong Martial Alliance forces and Jongli Baek’s divine power was overwhelming the demonic army, which had numbered fifty thousand, but now was less than thirty thousand.

“Push forward!”

Jongli Baek shouted, leaping into the ranks like a lion.

“Do not leave a single one alive!”

If Beomoh’s voice had steadied everyone’s hearts, Jongli Baek’s voice had ignited a fire in everyone’s hearts.

Uwaaaaa!

The forces of the Central Plains martial world, which had been gradually approaching Mount Wudang, were now pushing the demonic army back in the opposite direction.

It was thanks to Beomoh and Jongli Baek.

Rare masters possessed the power to change the tide of war even single-handedly. Beomoh had not reached the pinnacle of martial arts, but he encouraged the Arhats with a power that was antagonistic to demonic arts. Jongli Baek, with his martial prowess befitting the reputation of the Supreme Swordsman, had cut down countless demonic beings at the forefront.

The demonic beings, who had lost their reason and were charging without even using martial arts techniques, had no choice but to be pushed back, even though they were gaining power from their madness.

And another force, which would accelerate this war situation, had finally arrived.

Crash!

A powerful palm force, comparable to the fist techniques of the Arhats, exploded.

Unlike the Arhat formation, which was pressing in, they moved like the wind or clouds, taking down the demonic beings.

“Wudang Sect!”

Hwangpung Jin-in, an elder of Wudang, shouted as he unleashed the Seven Star Divine Palm.

“They are the ones who defile the divine energy of Wudang and harm the peace of the world! Do not let a single one of them live!”

“Yes!”

The number of Wudang Taoists was not very large.

Originally, Wudang had fewer members compared to the other Nine Great Sects. Rather, among the Taoists belonging to the Wudang Sect, there were many true Taoists who read and interpreted the Taoist scriptures, purely seeking to reach the Tao [the Way, the ultimate principle of the universe].

However, their power could not be underestimated. Rather, if they had built the reputation of being the Tai Shan [Mount Tai, a sacred mountain] and Bei Dou [the Big Dipper, a symbol of guidance] alongside Shaolin with their small numbers, it should be seen as an even greater feat.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The palm strikes they unleashed were truly fierce.

It did not seem like the martial arts of the Wudang Sect, which was famous for its soft yet strong, continuous techniques. The Taoists’ swords were filled with the Heavenly Net Sword and the Three Absolute Wild Sword, the best combat swords of Wudang, and they were relentlessly cutting down the demonic beings.

In the meantime, the elders were using the Wudang secret technique, the Tai Chi Wisdom Sword. Even though it was not a combat sword, they were cutting down the demonic beings more efficiently than any other warrior.

It was the true power of Wudang martial arts, which had reached the level of mastery. Even in this chaotic battle, they were calmly using the Tai Chi Sword techniques, and although their martial arts did not seem powerful, they were achieving more results than the Shaolin Arhats.

Even Jongli Baek could not help but be amazed by their mysterious martial arts.

‘It is an astonishingly beautiful martial art. It is said that Wudang’s martial arts are on par with Shaolin’s, and indeed, there was a reason why the world praised them.’

Swoosh!

Hwangpung Jin-in, who had softly severed the head of one of the demonic beings, approached Jongli Baek.

“I greet Senior Taoist Noh!”

“It is good to see you.”

“Given the situation, we must postpone our deep conversation for later! Do you have any other tactics to defeat these fiends?”

“I have none. Even if I did, it would be impossible for me. I have lived my whole life wielding a sword, and I have no experience in commanding a force of this size.”

“Then, we must push them back with force.”

“Of course!”

Swoosh!

The demonic beings fell like rain under the strike of the Tyrant Blade.

As if they had been waiting, the Wudang Taoists, stepping on the corpses, wielded their Songmun Ancient Swords relentlessly.

Heavenly Net, Three Absolutes, Tai Chi, Seven Stars.

The Taoist secret martial arts, any one of which would have earned one the title of a master of the world, were burning brilliantly.

“Om.”

As if they could not be outdone, Beomoh, chanting Buddhist mantras, charged forward, followed by the sixteen Arhats and the one hundred and eight Arhats, who swept away the remaining demonic beings in an instant.

It was said that the Shaolin of the North and the Wudang of the South were the Tai Shan and Bei Dou of the martial world.

The forces of the two sects, which rarely showed themselves in the martial world, were joining forces to defeat the demonic beings. Surprisingly, they were carrying out a massacre even more brutal than the swordsmen of the Jongnam and Huashan sects, yet their eyes remained unwavering.

The alliance of the strongest sects, vying for the top spot among the Nine Great Sects.

They were using martial arts that were several times more efficient and powerful than fighting the enemies alone. Although the nature of Taoist and Buddhist martial arts was different, they were surprisingly exchanging their energies and using an extremely efficient, instinctive martial art.

How much time had passed?

The demonic army was gradually being pushed away from Mount Wudang. They had held out until sunset, but the remaining number was less than ten thousand.

However, most of the Martial Alliance forces were exhausted, and even the warriors of Shaolin and Wudang were no longer able to harm the demonic beings as effectively as before.

It was only thanks to Jongli Baek and Beomoh that the number of the demonic army was gradually decreasing.

‘But at this rate…’

Jongli Baek looked far away at the Ogu Gate.

Even his disciple, who was a supreme master, had a pale face. It seemed that the excessive slaughter and the consumption of internal energy and stamina made it difficult for him to even wield the Evil-Slaying Blade.

‘These guys, if they were emitting this much demonic energy, they should have all collapsed by now.’

Jongli Baek gritted his teeth.

‘If this continues, the sacrifices of our allies will be too great. I have to come up with something.’

It was then.

Uwaaaaa!

A fiery shout arose from the rear of the demonic army.

It was not the shout of the demonic beings. It was the shout of the Martial Alliance forces.

Bang! Bang!

Jongli Baek, who had flown up after smashing the heads of two demonic beings, spotted a cavalry unit charging at a terrifying speed in the distance.

‘What is that?!’

Flap!

Several flags were fluttering wildly.

Written on them were “Subjugate Demons” and “Extinguish Evil.” And even larger than that, the two words “Righteous Army” shone in golden light.

Jongli Baek’s eyes flashed.

‘Righteous Army? The Righteous Army! The strongest mobile unit of the Martial Alliance!’

And within it, there was an impressive master he had not seen in a long time.

“Clear the way.”

It was not a loud shout, but his voice echoed all the way to Mount Wudang.

It was the voice of the golden wind. It was the legendary master who had unified black and white and changed the direction of the Great Three Sects War.

Having gathered his strength while moving here, he was leading the charge with his younger brother, swinging a huge axe connected by a chain, which was a sight to behold.

“We will break through in a straight line. Clear the way to the left and right!”

It was a voice like a spell.

At the command of the divine general, the Martial Alliance forces unknowingly cleared the way.

And through that gap, the Righteous Army, led by Yeon Ho-Jeong and Yeon Ji-Pyeong, charged like lightning.

Crash!

Behind the Mad Dragon Unit, which was rotating and smashing the area, the Gentleman’s Eight Swords of the Yeon family intertwined fiercely.

The Dragon Slaying Sword of Kunlun, the Plum Blossom Sword of Huashan, the Demon Subduing Spear of Emei, and the Thunderclap Blade of the Peng family were raining down in all directions, creating a major upheaval in the stagnant battlefield.

Half an hour later.

When the large moon stretched above the sun that had crossed over the western mountains.

There was no one breathing among the remnants of the Blood Demon Sect.